Subterranean heater.



A. PICK. SUBTERRANBAN HEATER. APPLICATION FILED JA.'. 2, 1913.

1,082,971. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. PICK. SUBTEERANEAN HEATER. APPLICATIONFILED JAN. 2, 1913.

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2 BHEETS-SHBET 2.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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2 v gg Aw m M a i such elements ma UNITED STATES PATENT ALFRED PECK, 015NEW YORK,

'N. Y., ASSIGNGR TO EDWARD NIGKLAS BREITUNG, MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN.

SUBTERRA'EEAN HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 2, 1913. Serial lie.

Patented Dec. 3

l U nd a resident of the city count-y. and State use Improvements inSubterranean Heaters. of which the following is e, specification, v

reference being bad to the accompanying dra "rigs, forming a partthereof.

My invention relates. to electric heating apparatus and especially tosuch is adapted for use in oil wells and other subterranean cavities.its object is to provide a simple and dur eble device of the aforesaidcharactor that shall embody aplurality of rigported resistance elementswhich are r ad 'v removable and replaceable which s ected that thedevice may oe used in dillieult place-s end also to provide anorrengement whereby the heat generated by be utilized. to greatadvantage.

(Ether ob iect-s of my invention will be set forth hereinafter.

1 will describe my invention in the fol lowing specification and pointout the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation largely inlongitudinal sec tion of a heater constructed in accordance withmyinvention. certain sections being broken away to reduce its length.Fig. 2 shows in section one of the end supporting members and itsprotective head. A portion of the heater without the casing is shown. inFig. 3 one of the connections between pairs of heating elements beingshown in section. Fig. 4 is an transverse section on the line 3- -3 oiFig. 1. Fig. 5 is an end elevation on a larger scale of the heater withthe casing and end cap removed. Figs. 6 d 7 sre enlerged longitudinalsections of respective ends ofthe device shown in JL 1 .l. I i

like characters of reference designate corresponding purts in all thefigures.

The heater here shown is built up of a plurality of tubular supportingmembers 10 having abutting end flanges 11 and assembled end'to end.tips-zed about the tube are through the dan es through which are nscrew-threaded metallic studs. 12 d from the flanges by inslices oi.insulating" moew York, have invented certain new and terial, over whichare metallic washers 1.

Nuts 16 screwed onto the studs clamp the adjacent supporting memberstogether.

Outside of the nuts hollow nietullic sockets 17 are screwed onto thestuds. "lheee serve to hold the ends of carbon rods which form theresistancelelements. Thus {the heater is built up in sections with a se'of spaced carbon rods in alinement with each other, electricallyconnected together but in sulated from the supporting members. thisconstruction the rods are held rigidly but their supports are such as toallow for expansion and to make tli measily and independently removablean replaceable.

The end sections of the supporting members are designated by 20 andtheir flanges by 21. Studs like 12 extend through them and betweenadjacent studs are metallic connectors 22. electric cable are connectedrespectively wittwo of the unconnected studs. One of these end flangesis shown in Fig. 5 and it, is to be understood that on the other endflange there are connectors between the studs which are opposite theends of the carbon rods. not connected by the connectors 22. "Thisorrangement connects the resistance rods in se-.

ries but. it is obvious that by other arrange ments well within theknowledge of one The wires and 2d of an 26 (Fig. 2) which are made withconical flanges 27 and with bails 9.8.

The parts described form an operative structure and before pointing outthe other parts of the apparatus illustrated in the drawings. I will.describe the manner in which it is used. A rope, chain or cable issecured to the bail 38 of the upper protective head and by it the deviceis lowered into the cavity for example, an oil-well. Electric currentsupplied" through wires 23, 24 will generate heat in the rods 18 whichheat may be utilized to melt deposits of such substances'as purallinwhich often clogup oil wells and injure their usefulness. The lowerprotective head guides the device as it is be ing lowered and holds themore delicate carbon rods away from the sides of the well. The upperprotective head also guides'tlie device and its conical flange deflectsto the side any loose matter which may fall on it from above. The heaterelements are mainiziineli at the propc such saltwater,

* head c1 coupling 31 which is rovided win .-L J. a 110%; and tcuc Eether as liclicnl sisllmcc ccils so I in scans wells necessai: 7 tsccvert do b "QJIO'VIClHI' a tubular s a @Illllll opening in. which its asmall tube 3% which extends through the beaten is a discharge headscrewed, into the and ll jlfl or coupling 3].. The discl'uzrgc lieu-disiaperel la a blunt and at 34; anal is provided with a. pluralily 0f dim,oriflees A cable head 36 isscrwed intc upper end of the shell 30. Thecable 29 in which are the wires 23', 24lpasses through an opening in thecentral pail; of this head. The lower and of lllllS cpening is butsliglllly larger than the cable but; is enlarge-l h farm, an annularchamber 3? which is fillecl will: an elastic cement suc .l 01 example as'i'liifi" be: coznpcund anal clcsecl by a A bail 39 sc cws ever atln'emled boss which is a part of fil'ie cable head and 501cc the cap 38down onto the ccment tc lcrin a fiuil lighl joint. The balls 03" theprotective w tlic lube A: to pass through hen}. A c lain 28" is pmvivledon the upper one, by means of which the heater may be removed from theshell. To the up per end of the tube 3: a r valve 40 which is closcclsprin" which permits the valve to open i. Wurclly when it is subjectedto pressure. When this form of the device is used, the inside of theshell may be filled with some non -ccnduclzin liquid such as kerosenewhich will not inter few with the electric heating circuits cmnplcteclthrough the rods, and lowered into the well 01 cavi'" The heater is thensup pliecl with elcc "ical energy. hen the temperature and pressure 5fthe have bcr sufi'icicn'tly raised by the heat 1mm l'l'rc elc l'ziczzllylicnlc-(l TO-TlE, the valve 40 will be lnmaticnlly opened. and the lintvapors l'c -secl from ilic shell will pass down tlu'nugh tube 32 anal bediffcharged through the orifices h s; vapors discharged in this Way arepumcu lzuly effective in melting the purafiin and heavy products ofpetroleum which usually clog an oil Well to a greater or less critenliand consequently tll output Well is mlv tcriu lv increased. The heat maybe thus applied at clcsi'rccl points in a much more effective way thanhas heretofore been possible.

/Vlm't I claim its:

1. A subterranean. l'lPfilifl comprining a plumlilv of supporling 'nmlicrs having abutting" and Han i; and emlile-cl ncl t0 cause ZfillSspas-cal and and a pluraliqv Pen licfiwccu llic flanges (incl :1 lionlcr comprl plum members h lug ullu'illng cu and fUTSJCllllllQil (and toand, :1 gllllil lllly 0 about, the in-e'nlbcrs sccu'rcll 13mm liczucrcomprisin Asylum su' clamping the l'l'l'Gl'" W on the l r can 3 vscckel! ncuier 00mg,

rnrls; luzving' i7.

A smiicrm m i lurulily 0i 'lul I liming abutting and ilungcs a:-*einblcdand 0 end, screw-ll:rcadccl melulli. jllldS ex- :zntling tlnnugh. butinsulated frcm said lac; V 0n the Sulldb? for clamping the .ncmbcvzkliar, sockets screwed on the ends of 'lzlnc ,nucls a plurality of carbonresisliu cc rolls having their ends in said socl sis 21ml 3, proteclingllfifill on each end of the healer.

A subterranean llliafilGl, comprising: a shell and clcsccl iicmln. allll'JQ einenlfling lnnp itmliunlly llironggli the sine l and beycnclor:

0' suppe'irt lng imzu'lliers of the bowls, n. valves for cs'laaoli ahinga cmnmuniration i'act'wccn mu: curl of tun tube m l the inside 0f theshell, aurl electric llcatcz surrounding the lulu Within l'llG shell.

7. A miblc-rmncan ruler comp?" ing a tnbulnl shell. 2, ill? head at oneend and a cable l *r, 2: central tube Wil'llin lxlic into the (liscluupjc lie-ml :1? one Q'llll flu-ll close to the. cable lieml z u u.valve for establishing: coin .vccn the central lulu-c the shill new n:cable liezul, and :1 fictionalized cm 1 'lc-u'ter surroniu'ling the tubeWithin bOZlQl'.

A subterranean llc comprixing a closed tubular shell, forming a bailey,:1 listclulrge llGMl 2'3 one. sncl nmvilmil with an orifice s d a calilchead at the other, a cubic through cable head. a fiuldning llicz'efor, aminimal luhc Wll' llI! stance rolls spaced tube sections together,

0 to end and the shell extending into the discharge head .at one end andclose to the cable head at the other, a valve for establishing commu-,nieation between boiler near the cable head and an electric heatercomprising a plurality of tube sections, having abutting endW-ianges'andassembled end to end, a plurality of screwthreaded studs spaced'aboutthe tube ex tending through and insulated from the flanges, nuts on thestuds for clamping the a plurality of carbon resistance rods spaced andsockets on said studs surrounding the ends ofthe rods removably securingthe rods to the studs.

9. A Subterranean heater comprising a plurality of hollow supporting.members having abutting end flanges connected end the central tube andthe around each section;

formingtherethrough a continuone opening, and a plurality of resistancerods spaced about the members between the flanges and secured thereto.

10. A subterranean heater comprising a closed casing, 'electrieinsulatin matter therein, adapted to be diwharged t erefrom,

an electric heater within the casing submerged in said matter, means forsupply- ALFRED PICK.

to the heater, and means opened at a predetermined Witnesses:

G. R. QUIMBY, F. B. GRAVES.

e casing to discharge the heated 4

